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Lincolns Body Guard 

The Union Light Guard 


The Seventh Independent Company 
of 

Ohio Volunteer Cavalry 


1863-1865 


By 

Robert W. McBride, 
One Time 1st Corporal and also 
Company Clerk. 









mib 

Author 

m 3 19 \2 


i 





) 







ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 





PREFATORY. 


This booklet is not intended as a contribution to either 
literature or history. It is intended as a mere token of 
remembrance among comrades. As memory reaches back 
through the years, my heart turns to those comrades of mine 
who, in the midst of one of the most deadly conflicts the 
world has ever known, volunteered to go as soldiers on a 
special service, the nature of which none of them knew. 
They only knew that they were going in the service of their 
country, but they also knew that in that day wherever men 
followed the old flag, death trod on the heels of duty. It 
seems to me that at that stage of the war, men who vol¬ 
unteered for an unknown and special service were entitled 
to as much credit as if they had volunteered in a forlorn 
hope. 

They went, expecting to face danger, and were disap¬ 
pointed when they were denied that chance. It has taken 
years to efface that disappointment and bring to them a 
tardy realization that their service was as honorable as if 
they had actually challenged death on the field of battle. 

R. W. McB. 


October 15, 1008. 








( 


X • 


C. ASIIMIN, M. I). 









Abraham Lincoln s Body Guard 

The Union Light Guard, otherwise known as the Seventh 
Independent Company of Ohio Volunteer Cavalry, was 
organized by Governor David Tod, of Ohio, during the 
months of November and December, 1863, for special service, 
the nature of which was not disclosed to the members of the 
Company until some time after it was mustered into the 
service. The original intention was to select one man from 
each county in the State, and the military committees of 
the several counties were requested to each select a repre¬ 
sentative for their county, and furnish him transportation 
to Columbus. Some of the counties being slow in respond¬ 
ing, other counties were allowed to furnish men to make 
up the deficiency. Their enlistment was for three years, 
or during the war, and they were mustered into the service 
at Columbus, 0., December 17, 1863, by Capt. Elmer Otis, 
Fourth U. S. Cavalry, acting as mustering officer. They 
left Columbus for Washington, D. C., December 22, 1863, 
via Wheeling, W. Va., and the B. & O. R. R. On arrival 
at Washington they reported to the Secretary of War, and 
were first assigned to barracks located a few squares south¬ 
west of the War Department. The members of the com¬ 
pany then learned for the first time that the special service 
for which they were enlisted was to act as a bodyguard 
or mounted escort for President Lincoln. Later, barracks 
were built for the company in what is now known as the 
“White Lot/’ then called the Treasury Park. The bar¬ 
racks were directly south of the Treasury Department and 
opposite E street. The stables in which the company horses 
were kept were on the north side of E street, adjacent to 
Fifteenth street, and occupied a part of the ground now 
occupied by the Albaugh Opera House. A part of the com¬ 
pany was assigned to duty at the White House, while others 
were detailed to various points in and around Washington, 
a large number being sent to the Virginia side of the river, 
and scattered among the forts constituting the defenses of 
Washington, from a point opposite Georgetown to a point 
below Alexandria. 

During the summer months President Lincoln spent his 
nights at the Soldiers’ Home, near Washington, and the 
company escorted him from the White House to the Home 
and returning. 

The company continued in the service after the assassina- 


tion of President Lincoln until September 9, 1865, when it 
was mustered out at Washington, D. C., by H. C. Strong-, 
First Lieutenant Yet. Res. Corps. 

Taking- the company as a whole, the membership was 
much above that of the average company of soldiers, in¬ 
tellectually, morally, socially and physically. The mystery 
concerning the special service for which the company was 
organized, and the care taken in their selection, spurred 
the imagination and led its members to hope and believe 
that they would be given a chance to write their names high 
on the nation’s roll of honor. There was bitter disappoint¬ 
ment when the men found themselves condemned to that 
which they felt was a service of “inglorious inactivity,” 
and earnest efforts were made by members of the company 
and by others in their behalf to have the company assigned 
to duty at the front, where it could share in the activities 
and dangers of real warfare. These efforts elicited a stern 
reminder from the great War Secretary that a soldier’s 
first duty was unquestioning obedience to the orders of his 
superiors, and an equally stern admonition to our Captain 
that it would go hard with him if the department was ever 
again annoyed by receiving further requests of that char¬ 
acter. We were also reminded from other sources that as 
soldiers were needed for that particular duty, if we were 
sent to the front others must come from the front to take 
our places, and that we could serve our country as faith¬ 
fully and as well by cheerfully discharging the duties as¬ 
signed to us as we could possibly do on the field of battle. 
Aided by the perspective of time, we can now realize the 
truth of this as we then could not. We can also now realize 
as we could not at that time the honor of having been 
specially chosen as the personal escort and bodyguard of 
one of the greatest of Americans and greatest of men. 

The company had its share of unpleasant experiences 
which were best forgotten, and when its members returned 
to their homes after being mustered out it is probable that 
a majority of them would have considered a blank page as 
the best record of their war service. Especially so, when 
they began to touch elbows with those who bore the scars 
of battle and listen to their tales of camp and campaign. 

Now, however, we know that those same battle-scarred 
veterans would have been glad at any time to have changed 
places with us, and, instead of regarding service as the per¬ 
sonal bodyguard of Abraham Lincoln as “inglorious,” they 
esteem it to have been a service of high honor. One dis¬ 
tinguished officer who had won honor in the field declared 
that he would rather have been the Captain of the Union 
Light Guard than a Brigadier General in any other service. 


The following is a roster of the men as they were enlisted 
George A. Bennett, Columbus, 0. 

Arthur W. White, Columbus, 0. 

J. B. Jameson, Columbus, 0. 

Horace S. Fuller, Warren, O., clerk. 

William P. Anderson, Marysville, O., editor. 

Paul Metzger, Salem, 0., student. 

George C. Ashman, Talmage, O., teacher. 

Josiah Chance, Perrysburgh, 0., teacher. 

David N. Jones, Delaware, O., farmer. 

Samuel Culp, Waldo, 0., farmer. 

Webster M. Adams, Findlay, O., painter. 

Ephraim Adamson, Cambridge, 0., farmer. 

Edward P. Brown, Lima, O., carpenter. 

Frederick R. Baker, Avon, 0., farmer. 

Albert G. Bacon, Bucvrus, O., stone cutter. 

Frank A. Baird, Zanesville, 0., student. 

Homer Barnes, Delaware, 0., farmer. 

Thomas B. Ball, Marysville, 0.. Shoemaker. 

John I. Burnham, West Jefferson, 0., farmer. 

Ilenry C. Baird, Zanesville, 0., miller. 

Theodore F. Bailey, Delaware. O., farmer. 

William P. Bogardus, Four Corners, 0., farmer. 
Abraham T. Brechbill, Defiance, O., clerk. 

George G. Banks, Antwerp, O., farmer. 

Lemuel A. Brandeberry, Delaware, 0., dentist. 

William I. Barbour, Marysville, 0., clerk. 

David Banker, Middletown, O., farmer. 

Cornelius Curran, Logan, 0. 

Edward W. Crockett, Napoleon, 0., farmer. 

John Crowe, Defiance, O., merchant. 

George W. Crum, Fremont, O., merchant. 

Asa C. Cassidy, Zanesville, 0., farmer. 

John W. Custer, Lima, O., farmer. 

Daniel H. Conditt, Newark, 0.. painter. 

Henry G. Clark, Lockburn, O., farmer. 

Hiram Cook, Circleville, 0., carpenter. 

Robert J. Cox, Delaware, 0. 

Henry Cutler, Harrisville, O., carriage maker. 

Jeremiah N. Dunn, Mt. Gilead, 0., teacher. 

Edward P. Dolbear, Delaware, O., printer. 

David J. Elliott, Sidney, 0., farmer. 

Thomas J. Everett, Millersburg, 0.. farmer. 

Marshall D. Ellis, Eldorado, 0., student. 

Joseph Fulkerson, Bucvrus,, 0., bricklayer. 

John F. Field, Columbus, 0., farmer. 

Gilbert N. Gilley, McConnellsville, 0., carpenter. 
Martin Gorman, Defiance. 0., clerk. 


William Gassowav, Smithfield, 0., farmer. 

Robert H. Hyde, Wauseon, 0., clerk. 

Frederick T. Hard, Norwalk, 0., clerk. 

Asa R. Hughes, Delaware, 0., student, 

Samuel P. Haverfield, Cadiz, 0.. dentist. 

John Holmes, Bucyrus, 0., farmer. 

William P. Hopkins, Ravenna, 0., clerk. 

Lemuel T. Hibbard, Defiance, 0., tinner. 

William H. Hughes, Wilmington, O., farmer 
Peter Ingle, Delaware, O., farmer. 

Alfred Jordan, Springfield, O., farmer. 

Jefferson Koontz, Canton, 0., plasterer. 

John F. Kellar, Caldwell, 0., farmer. 

Milton Koogle, Lebanon, 0., carriage maker. 
Joseph W. Lawrence, Marysville, 0., printer. 
George F. Laubender, Miliersburg, O., farmer. 
Samuel Lynn, Delaware, ()., farmer. 

Frank P. Lutz, Circleville, O., clerk. 

John W. Minor, Eaton, O., farmer. 

Ira L. Morris, Troy, 0., farmer. 

Robert W. McBride, Mansfield, O., clerk. 

Andrew Mayfield, Norton, 0., farmer. 

James W. Mayfield, Delaware, 0., farmer. 

Thomas W. McClellan, Eaton, ()., farmer. 

Lewis M. Meeker, Canfield, 0., hotel keeper. 
George Orman, Lancaster. 0., carpenter. 

George H. Platt, Toledo, O., merchant. 

Henry P. Pyle, Mt. Yernon, 0., clerk. 

Nathaniel M. T. Page, Portsmouth, 0., clerk. 
Thomas R. Plummer, Wauseon, 0., merchant. 
George S. Rowan, Chillicothe. O., cooper. 

Samuel IT. Rulon, Wilmington, O., dentist. 

Mark B. Robinson, Miamisville, O.. farmer. 

John W. Ray, London, O.. teacher. 

Luther B. Ricketts, New Philadelphia, 0., clerk. 
James D. Raikes, Cambridge, 0., engineer. 

John C. Rhodes, Urbana, 0., clerk. 

John Q. A. Redd, Lebanon, O., baker. 

Levi M. Rodecker, Woodsfield, 0., artist. 

Smith Stimmell, Lockburn, 0., farmer. 

David G. Spaulding, Delaware, 0., carpenter. 
Charles C. Smucker, Newark. O., tinner. 

Judson A. Spaulding, Delaware, 0., carpenter. 
Benjamin F. Summers, London, 0., artist, 

William A. Scott, New Philadelphia, O., merchant. 
Oscar TT. Spencer, McArthur, 0., watchmaker. 
Emery C. Swank, Canfield, 0., painter. 

Barton W. Swerer, Brady Station, 0., teacher. 


Charles S. Slade, Wapakoneta, 0.. farmer. 

Zebulon Sparks, New Philadelphia, 0. 

Imri Smalley, Jefferson, 0., painter. 

George Terry, Portsmouth, O., clerk. 

Alva R. Tichenor, Lebanon, 0., clerk. 

Nelson Tway, Marysville, 0., farmer. 

Silas B. Thompson, New Concord, O., carpenter. 

Wilson White, Newark, O., painter. 

Joshua M. Yeo, Lebanon, 0., clerk. 

William Cook, Columbus, O., colored cook. 

William Davis, Columbus, 0., colored cook. 

John Carter, Columbus, O., colored cook. 

James Robinson, Columbus, 0., colored cook. 

The following named members of the company died whil 
in the service: 

Samuel Culp. 

David A. Elliott. 

Benjamin F. Summers. 

The following named members were discharged befor 
the end of their time of service: 

Capt. George A. Bennett. 

First Lieut. Arthur W. White. 

Imri Smalley. 

David N. Jones. 

Henry C. Baird. 

John Crowe. 

Cornelius Curran. 

Robert J. Cox. 

John W. Custer. 

Edward P. Dolbear. 

George W. Donely. 

John F. Field. 

Frederick T. Hard. 

Peter Ingle. 

Milton Koogle. 

Jefferson Koontz. 

James W. Mayfield. 

Paul Metzger. 

John W. Minor. 

John W. Ray. 

Zebulon Sparks. 

Judson A. Spaulding. 

Oscar H. Spencer. 

Wilson White. 

John Carter. 

William Cook. 

William Davis. 

James Robinson. 


Second Lieut. James B. Jameson was promoted to First 
Lieutenant December 21, 1864. 

George C. Ashmun was promoted to Second Lieutenant 
February 8, 1865. 

The following named members of the company were com¬ 
missioned in other commands: 

Josiali Chance, promoted to Captain 127th Regiment U. 

5. Colored Troops, September 13, 1864. 

William P. Bogardus, promoted to Second Lieutenant 
Twenty-fourth Regiment TJ. S. Colored Troops, March 

6, 1865. 

Jeremiah M. Dunn, promoted to Captain Twenty-ninth 
Regiment TJ. S. Colored Troops, September 26, 1864. 

Marshall D. Ellis, promoted to Second Lieutenant LT. S. 
Colored Troops, April 21, 1865. 

Luther B. Ricketts, promoted to Second Lieutenant 102d 
Regiment U. S. Colored Troops. May 6, 1865. 

Joshua M. Yeo, promoted to First Lieutenant and Ad¬ 
jutant 196th 0. Y. L, March 30, 1865. 

With one exception the remaining members of the com¬ 
pany were mustered out together, as a company, September 
9, 1865. The one exception was Mark B. Robinson, who 
was on detached duty, and was not mustered out until 
November 24, 1865. 

Efforts have been made from time to time since the war 
to hold reunions of the company, but without very great 
success. A number of the members got together twice at 
Columbus, 0., and in 1898. during the National Encamp¬ 
ment at Cincinnati, the following ten members met, viz.: 

Martin Gorman, Defiance, 0. 

John C. Rhodes, Urbana, 0. 

Theodore F. Bailey, Delaware, O. 

0. H. Spencer, fronton, 0. 

Milton Koogle, Belief on taine, 0. 

Nelson Twav, Kile, Madison county, Ohio. 

Marshall D. Ellis, 843 Elm street, Indianapolis, Ind. 

G. C. Ashmun, 794 Republic street, Cleveland. 0. 

David Banker, Jr., Poast Town, O. 

Robert W. McBride, Indianapolis. Ind. 

No attempt was made at that time to effect an organiza¬ 
tion. During the hist summer (1908) the writer deter¬ 
mined to make an effort to have a reunion of the company" 
during the National Encampment at Toledo. As the result 
of much correspondence, responses were received from 
twenty-seven, of whom sixteen promised to attend. Seven 
of these failed to keep their promise, and only nine were 
at the appointed place, viz.: 


G. 0. Ashmun, 1965 East 101st street, Cleveland, O. 

A. T. Brechbill, 122 Seneca street. Defiance, 0. 

G. G. Banks, Antwerp, 0., R. F. D. No. 3. 

George F. Laubender, Mt. Carmel, Ill. 

M. B. Gorman, Defiance, O. 

John Crowe, Defiance, O. 

Smith Stimmel, Casselton, N. D. 

Paul Metzger, Salem, 0. 

Robert W. McBride, Indianapolis, Ind, 

Those who did attend had an enjoyable time and effected 
a permanent organization, with Lieut. G. C. Ashmun as 
President and Robert W. McBride as Secretary. It was 
decided that an effort should be made to locate the sur¬ 
vivors, and that for the future we should try to keep in 
closer touch with each other. The writer also undertook to 
prepare, publish and distribute to the survivors a brief out¬ 
line sketch of the company’s organization, and of its serv¬ 
ice, with a copy of its original roster, and the addresses of 
the survivors, so far as they could be obtained. In doing 
this, something like two hundred letters have been written. 
As a result of this correspondence, thirty-nine survivors 
have been found and located as follows: 

Arthur W. White, Bostwick, Neb. 

Horace S. Fuller, Crete, Neb. 

Wm. P. Anderson, 450 19th St., N. W., Washington, 
D. C., Treasury Department. 

Paul Metzger, Salem, O. 

George C. Ashmun, 1965 East 101st street, Cleve¬ 
land, O. 

Ephraim Adamson, Mowequa, Ill. 

Edward P. Brown, Zebra, Mo. 

John I. Burnham, San Jose, Cal. 

Henry C. Baird, Zanesville, 0. 

Theodore F. Bailey, Delaware, O. 

William P. Bogardus, Mt. Vernon, 0. 

Abraham T. Brechbill, 122 Seneca St., Defiance, O. 

George G. Banks, Antwerp, O., R. F. D No. 3. 

John Crowe, Defiance, O. 

Hiram Cook, Circleville, O. 

Robert J. Cox, Delaware, O. 

Marshall D. Ellis, 120 Mass. Ave., N. W., Washing¬ 
ton, D. C. 

Joseph Fulkerson, 55 Louder Ave., Columbus, O. 

Martin Gorman, Defiance, 0. 

William LI. Hughes, 41 W. MeCreight St., Spring- 
field, 0. 

John F. Kellar, Crookston, Neb. 

Milton Koogle, Belief ontaine, 0. 


George F. Laubender, Mt. Carmel, Ill. 

Samuel Lynn, Bentonville, Benton county, Ark. 
Frank P. Lutz, 38 Block K, Pueblo, Colo. 

Robert W. McBride, 1418 Park Ave., Indianapolis, 
Ind. 

Andrew Mayfield, Norton, Delaware county, 0. 
James W. Mayfield, Norton, Delaware county, 0. 
George Orman, Lancaster, 0. 

Nathaniel M. T. Page, Cuba, Crawford county. Mo. 
James D. Raikes, 901 Concannon St., Moberly, Mo. 
John C. Rhodes, Urbanan, 0. 

Smith Stimmell, Casselton, N. D. 

Charles C. Smucker, 675 Neil Ave., Columbus, 0. 
Oscar A. Spencer, Circleville, 0. 

Emery C. Swank, Soldiers’ Home, Sandusky, O. 
George Terry, Arbatross St., San Diego, Cal. 

Nelson Tway, Kileville, O. 

Joshua M. Yeo, Chillicothe, 0. 
fty-seven have been reported dead, viz.: 

J. B. Jameson. 

Josiah Chance. 

Samuel Culp. 

Webster M. Adams. 

Frederick R. Baker. 

Frank A. Baird. 

Homer Barnes. 

Thomas B. Ball. 

Lemuel A. Brandeberry. 

William I. Barbour. 

David Banker. 

Edward W. Crockett. 

George W. Crum. 

Asa C. Cassidy. 

John W. Custer. 

Henry G. Clark. 

Daniel II. Conditt. 

Jeremiah N. Dunn. 

Edward P. Dolbear. 

David A. Elliott. 

Thomas J. Everett. 

John F. Field. 

Gilbert N. Gilley. 

William Gassowav. 

Robert PI. Hyde. 

Frederick T. Plard. 

Asa R. Hughes. 

Samuel P. Haverfield. 

John W. Plolmes. 


William B. Hopkins. 

Lemuel T. Hibbard. 

Peter Ingle. 

Jefferson Koontz. 

Joseph W. Lawrence. 

John W. Minor. 

Ira L. Morris. 

Lewis M. Meeker. 

George H. Platt. 

Henry P. Pyle. 

Thomas R. Plummer. 

George S. Rowan. 

Samuel II. Rulon. 

Mark B. Robinson. 

Luther B. Ricketts. 

John Q. A. Redd. 

Levi M. Rodecker. 

David D. Spaulding. 

Judson A. Spaulding. 

Benjamin P. Summers. 

William A. Scott. 

Barton W. Swerer. 

Charles S. Slade. 

Zebulon Sparks. 

Imri Smalley. 

Alva R. Tichenor. 

Wilson White. 

The following relatives of deceased members of the com¬ 
pany have also been heard from: 

Lieut. P. G. Banker, Middletown, 0., son of David 
Banker. 

Lieut. William E. Crockett, Napoleon, 0., son of Edward 
W. Crockett. 

D. Harry Conditt, 311 Market St.. Camden, N. J., son of 
Daniel II. Conditt. 

Mrs. Ada II. Gassoway, 1423 O St., N. E., Washington, 
D. C., widow of William Gassoway. 

Mrs. A. W. Rodecker, Lancaster, O., widow of Levi M. 
Rodecker. 

Mrs. Irene Scott, New Cumberland, 0.. widow of Will¬ 
iam A. Scott. 

Of twelve members no trace has been found, viz.: 
George A. Bennett. 

David N. Jones. 

Albert G. Bacon. 

Cornelius Curran. 

Henry Cutler. 


Thomas W. McClellan. 

John W. Ray. 

Silas B. Thompson. 

Also the four colored men who were enlisted as cooks. 

Robert W. McBride. 


psaiip: 












































































































































































































































































































The following paper was written several years ago, at the 
request of some of the members of the Century Club, of 
Indianapolis. I append it in the hope that it may have a 
measure of interest for my surviving comrades: 

SOME PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS OF ABRAHAM 
LINCOLN. 

By a Non-Commissioned Officer of His Body-guard. 

It is a long step from the President of the United States 
to a Corporal of Cavalry, and yet when the President is 
Abraham Lincoln, and the Corporal happens to be a mem¬ 
ber of his body-guard, he may in the after years have mem¬ 
ories of the President worth treasuring. He may not have 
seen much of the President; he may not have any memories 
of Cabinet meetings, of the preparation of state papers, or 
social or state functions, but he may have seen enough 
of the man to supply him with memories of many things 
that will bear telling. 

To those familiar with the City of Washington during 
the time of the Civil War it was not surprising that Lincoln 
was assassinated. The surprising thing to them was that 
it was so long delayed. It is probable that the only man in 
Washington who, if he thought upon the subject at all, did 
not think that Mr. Lincoln was in constant and imminent 
danger, was Mr. Lincoln himself. The city was filled with 
Southern sympathizers, and could easily be entered by men 
coming from beyond the Rebel lines. The feeling against 
Mr. Lincoln as the chosen leader of those battling for the 
maintenance of the Union, was of course intensely bitter. 
Even in the North, he was constantly abused and villified, 
characterized as a tyrant and monster, while articles ap¬ 
peared daily in many of the newspapers, the tendency of 
which was to incite to his murder. It is said that it was 
with reluctance, and only upon the urgent solicitation of 
the great War Secretary, Edwin M. Stanton, and others, 
that he consented to have a guard stationed at the White 
House and a company of cavalry assigned as his mounted 
escort. 

A company of infantry from one of Pennsylvania’s fa¬ 
mous regiments of “Buektails” was camped in the grounds 
just south of the White House, and a daily detail from 
its ranks was posted in front of the House, one on each side 
of the great portico, the beats of the sentinels beginning on 
each side of the entrance and running east and west about 


as far as the east and west sides of the main building. 
Posted thus, they were more ornamental than useful. They 
were not allowed to challenge or stop any person who sought 
to enter the White House, and its doors opened then as 
freely to visitors as they do to-day. 

A company from a New York regiment of cavalry, known 
as ‘ ‘ Scott’s Nine Hundred, ’ ’ was his original cavalry escort, 
but in 1863 Governor David Tod, of Ohio, tendered the 
services of a picked company of cavalry from that State. 
His offer was accepted, and in December of 1863 the com¬ 
pany, 108 men strong, reached Washington. The company 
was known as the “Union Light Guard,” or “Seventh In¬ 
dependent Squadron of Ohio Volunteer Cavalry. M From 
that time until it was mustered out of service, on the 9th 
day of September, 1865, it was the mounted escort or body¬ 
guard of Abraham Lincoln and of his successor in office. 

It was quartered in barracks in what is now known as 
the White Lot, but which was then known as the Treasury 
Park. In those days the White House grounds proper only 
extended south to a line running east and west from the 
south end of the Treasury Department Building to Seven¬ 
teenth street. It was bounded on the south by a stone wall 
three or four feet in height, the top of the wall being on a 
level with the White House grounds. South of that, and 
extending to the old canal, which ran immediately north of 
the then unfinished Washington monument, was the Treas¬ 
ury Park, a great commons with a few small scattering 
trees and a half-mile race track. The barracks were south 
of the Treasury Department, on the west side of Fifteenth 
street, facing D and E streets. Their horses were stabled 
on the grounds now occupied bv Albaugh’s Opera House, 
and were picketed and groomed on Fifteenth street. 

It was while serving as a member of this company that 
I had many opportunities to see Mr. Lincoln. The utter 
inadequacy of the measures taken for his protection will be 
understood in some measure when I describe how I first 
saw him. 

It was after midnight of a January night in 1864. The 
approaches to the White House and the great portico on its 
front were lighted by dickering gas jets, for that was before 
the days of electric lighting. The two great iron gates 
which guarded the driveways from Pennsylvania avenue 
were open, but on each side of each gate was a mounted 
cavalryman, the detail from the Union Light Guard. Dis¬ 
mounted and lounging against the stone supports of the 
portico was the cavalry corporal of the guard, his horse 
being picketed in the rear of the house. (On that particu¬ 
lar evening I happened to be the corporal of the guard.) 


The two “Bucktails” were pacing their beats. From 
the end of the beat of the sentinel on the east side a walk 
ran to the Treasury Department, and just north of this 
path stood the White House stables, inside a square- 
trimmed hedge of boxwood, probably two and one-half or 
three feet high. From the end of the beat of the sentinel 
on the west side a path paved with brick ran westward to 
the old War Department, a dingy-looking old brick build¬ 
ing of the dry goods box style of architecture, occupying a 
part of the north end of the ground now covered by the 
magnificent State Department Building. South of it, 
fronting on Seventeenth street, and separated from the 
War Department a short distance, was another old-time 
brick structure, resembling it in architectural ugliness, and 
occupied by the Navy Department. The space between the 
White House and War Department contained a number of 
great forest trees, making a beautiful little park in day¬ 
light; but at night, lighted only by the wavering beams of 
a solitary gas jet, it was a place of shadows and gloom. 
The path to the War Department ran along the south end 
of this little park, under the shadow of the trees. Just 
south of the path was a brick wall, probably five or six feet 
in height, easily scaled, enclosing what was then called the 
White House Gardens. Lights shone in only a few of the 
windows of the White House. 

The front door opened, and a tall, rather slender, angular 
looking man came out alone. He wore a long black frock 
coat, and a silk hat of the peculiar narrow, high, straight 
style then in vogue. The hat had apparently either seen 
its best days or had been badly cared for, as it had lost its 
shine, and the nap was standing on end in many patches. 
The long coat and the high hat made him seem taller and 
more slender than he really was. 

Closing the door, he clasped his hands behind his back, 
and with head bent forward, walked slowly toward the 
front of the portico. At this, the cavalry corporal became 
suddenly alert, came to attention, drew his sabre, and 
brought it to a carry; for, thanks to the illustrated papers 
(Harper’s Weekly and Frank Leslie), he had recognized 
in the gaunt figure approaching the President and Com- 
mander-in-Chief of the Army, to whom all military cour¬ 
tesy was due. 

The President came slowly forward until he reached the 
steps, and there stopped. For several minutes he stood, 
seemingly in deep thought, and apparently giving no heed 
to his surroundings. The opportunity to observe him 
closely was improved, for he had stopped where one of the 
gaslights shone full upon him. He looked careworn and 


weary. Ilis features, as well as his form, were rugged and 
angular, and there were lines in his face that do not appear 
in his portraits. His hat was set back far enough to show 
a high, broad forehead. His nose and ears were large, his 
cheek-bones prominent, liis jaws square, his cheeks slightly 
sunken, his mouth large, and his lips full and rather promi¬ 
nent. His eyes were bent downward and could not be dis¬ 
tinctly seen. His face, around his mouth and a portion of 
his cheeks, was smoothly shaven, but his chin and jaws were 
covered with closely trimmed dark colored whiskers. 

He came down the steps, and without appearing to notice, 
gravely lifted his hat in recognition of the salute given, 
and turned toward the War Department. With similar 
gravity he acknowledged the salute of the infantryman as 
he passed him. While the infantryman at once resumed 
liis beat, both he and the cavalryman anxiously watched the 
tall figure as it passed into the shadows of the great trees, 
and I know of one of them whose anxiety was only relieved 
when Mr. Lincoln was seen to enter the War Department 
Building. In about half an hour he came back, still alone. 
This, while the first, was only one of many similar occur¬ 
rences; for, as I then learned, it was his frequent and 
almost nightly practice to thus visit the War Department, 
before going to bed, that he might have the latest news 
from the front. It was also his daily practice to make an 
early morning visit to the department. I never saw him 
attended at any of these times. He always went and came 
alone. I think, however, that late in the fall of 1864 a 
member of the police force in plain clothes attended him 
whenever he left the White House. 

From the description I have given of the surroundings 
it can be seen how easy it would have been for an assassin 
to have killed him while lie was on one of these solitary 
visits to the War Department, and how little actual pro¬ 
tection was given him by the guards as they were posted. 
The evidence on the trial of the conspirators showed that 
they knew of his habit of visiting the War Department, 
and that they had at one time planned to abduct him, by 
seizing him on a dark night, while in the shadows of the 
park, lifting him over the brick wall that bordered the 
south side of the pathway, and hurrying him across the 
Treasury Park to a vacant house belonging to a rebel sym¬ 
pathizer, where he could be kept concealed in the cellar 
until he could be taken across the Potomac In a boat. The 
plan was practicable, and I have never understood why it 
was abandoned. 

The next morning I witnessed an interesting scene. Mr. 
Lincoln came out and started toward the department, ap- 


parently absorbed in thought. The infanry sentinel pre¬ 
sented arms as he approached, but Mr. Lincoln walked by, 
without returning his salute. The soldier remained stand¬ 
ing at a present arms. When Mr. Lincoln had passed him 
nearly or quite two rods, lie suddenly stopped, turned clear 
around, lifted his hat and bowed. His manner was sig¬ 
nificant of his kindly nature. It was that of one gentleman 
apologizing to another for an unintentional slight. Mr. 
Lincoln was not a miliary man, yet his position made him 
the Commander-in-Chief of the Army, and entitled him 
to military honors. He understood that the duty of an 
officer to return a salute was as imperative as the duty of 
the soldier to give it. The humblest private in the ranks 
is entitled to have his salute returned, and a failure to 
return it is an affront and a breach of military courtesy. 
When Mr. Lincoln realized that he had failed to recognize 
the salute at the proper time, he was not content to merely 
return it, but in his manner of returning it, tendered an 
ample apology. I asked the soldier why he continued stand¬ 
ing at a present after the President had passed him so far. 
He explained that such occurrences were common; when 
Mr. Lincoln was absorbed in thought, he frequently passed 
the sentry without returning the salute, but never failed 
to remember before he had gone very far, and invariably 
stopped, when he did remember, and returned it. 

We soon learned to know from Mr. Lincoln’s manner, as 
he returned from the War Department, whether the news 
from the front was good or otherwise. If good, he came 
back with head erect and arms swinging. His countenance 
was bright, and he usually smiled as he acknowledged the? 
salute. If the news from the front was not encouraging, 
we could read it in his manner. His countenance w'as 
clouded, and he frequently walked with bowed head, and 
hands clasped behind his back. 

One night there was an alarm of fire. The White House 
stables were burning. Those of us who were early on the 
ground saw a tall and lmtless man come running from the 
direction of the White House. When he reached the box¬ 
wood hedge, that served as an enclosure to the stables, he 
sprang over it like a deer. As he approached the stable he 
inquired if the horses had been taken out. On learning 
that they had not, he asked impatiently why they had not, 
and with his own hands burst open the stable door. A 
glance within showed that the whole interior of the stable 
was in flames, and that the rescue of the horses was impos¬ 
sible. Notwithstanding this, he would apparently have 
rushed in, had not those standing around caught and re¬ 
strained him. It suddenly occurred to someone that pos- 


sibly the stables had been fired for the purpose of bringing 
him out of the White House, and giving an opportunity 
to assassinate him. Captain Bennett, of the Union Light 
Guard, and some others, immediately hurried him into the 
White House, while, by Captain Bennett’s orders, with a 
detail of the men of our company, I took charge of the 
entrance, remaining there on duty for several hours. 

After posting the sentinels, I went inside. Mr. Lincoln, 
with others, was standing in the East room, looking at the 
still burning stable. He was weeping. Little “Tad,” his 
youngest son, explained his father’s emotion. His son 
Willie had died a short time before. He was his father’s 
favorite, and the stable contained a pony that had belonged 
to the dead boy. The thought of his dead child had come 
to his mind as soon as lie learned the stables were on fire, 
and he had rushed out to try to save the pony from the 
liames. 

The presidential receptions offered another opportunity 
for the assassin. The recent tragic death of President Mc¬ 
Kinley shows that it was indeed a real danger. With feel¬ 
ing running so high, it speaks well for the American char¬ 
acter that some fanatic did not take advantage of the license 
afforded by the presidential receptions to assassinate him 
as President McKinely was assassinated. At those recep¬ 
tions Mr. Lincoln, like other Presidents, would stand for 
hours shaking the hands of all who came. For hours a con¬ 
stant stream of mixed humanity passed him. The clerk, 
the mechanic and the laborer from the streets would elbow 
the millionaire or the high official, as they crowded through. 
and the President greeted all with the same courtesy. 

During a public reception at the White House, on an 
evening in March of 1864, while standing near the entrance, 
watching the crowds as they came, I noticed two officers 
come in quietly and join the throng passing around to the 
right to reach the President. One wore a close-cropped 
brownish colored beard and mustache, that covered his 
entire face. His uniform showed the slight purplish tinge 
taken on by the military uniform in those days, when it had 
seen much service in the field. His shoulder straps were 
those of a Major General. The other, who followed him 
closely, also wore a full beard, Avhich, as I remember it. 
was darker than that of his companion, and was not 
trimmed. His shoulder straps were those of a Brigadier 
General. Someone asked: “Who are they?” Most of 
those present were familiar with the general officers of the 
Army of the Potomac, but these were strangers. Suddenly 
someone whispered: “That looks like the picture of Grant 
in Harper’s Weekly,” and then the word went round that 


it was General Grant, with General Rawlings, his Chief of 
Staff. General Grant had just been nominated and con¬ 
firmed as Lieutenant General, and had come East to receive 
his commission and take command of the armies. This was 
his first visit to the White House during the war, and his 
first meeting with Mr. Lincoln. I had the privilege of 
seeing them meet. Mr. Lincoln recognized General Grant 
before he reached him, and, contrary to his usual custom, 
stepped forward to greet him. He was much taller than 
General Grant, and when he clasped his hand, his head 
bent downward, as he looked into General Grant’s eyes. I 
could not hear what they said. The crush became terrific, 
as the crowd tried to get near enough to witness the meeting. 
With other members of my company, I assisted in clearing 
the way for General Grant to escape from the crush. 
Placing him and Secretary of State William H. Seward in 
the center, we formed a sort of football wedge, and thus 
forced our way through the crowd and across the East 
room. On the east side of the East room was a sofa, on 
which Mr. Seward and General Grant climbed. A little 
speech from Mr. Seward and a little energetic pushing by 
the guard, started the throng past General Grant, who 
shook hands with them as they passed. 

Mr. Lincoln spent the summer of 1864 at the Soldiers’ 
Home, going out from the city in the evening and return¬ 
ing in the morning. A detachment of the guard accompa¬ 
nied him as his escort and remained at the Soldiers’ Home 
over night. Occasionally Mr. Lincoln would go among the 
men and chat familiarly with them. 

Mr. Lincoln’s manner on such occasions was that of one 
having a genuine, kindly interest in the members of the 
company and a wish to learn how matters looked from their 
point of view. There was nothing patronizing about it, 
nor anything savoring of condescension or superciliousness. 
My first impression on seeing Mr. Lincoln was that he was 
ungainly, awkward and ugly. Memory recalls him as being 
rugged, strong, plain and kind. 

One beautiful spring morning in 1864, as the President 
returned from his morning visit to the War Department, 
he found a group of school children plajdng on the north 
portico of the White House. The news from the front had 
evidently been satisfactory, and the President was bright 
and cheerful. ITe stopped, called the children around him, 
and for several minutes talked pleasantly with them, looked 
at their books, questioned them about their studies, and said 
pleasant, quaint and humorous things. His manner was 
not that of condescension, but rather that of comradeship. 


The children crowded round him as if he had been their 
elder brother. 

When Mr. Lincoln delivered his second inaugural address 
I had the privilege of standing within twenty feet of him. 
His voice was singularly clear and penetrating. It had a 
sort of metallic ring. His enunciation was perfect. There 
was an immense crowd of people surrounding the east front 
of the Capitol, but it seemed as if his voice would reach 
the entire audience. It had rained a great deal during the 
forenoon, and clouds overcast the sky, as the presidential 
party and Senate came out on the east portico. While 
the ceremonies were in progress the clouds suddenly parted, 
and, although it was about midday. Venus was seen clearly 
shining in the blue sky. The attention of the immense 
throng was directed to it. The superstitious ones, and some 
who were not so superstitious, as they listened to that won¬ 
derful address, were impressed with the thought that the 
appearance of the star might be an omen of the hoped for 
peace, of which Mr. Lincoln spoke with such wistful pathos. 

General Lee surrendered to General Grant on the 9th day 
of April, 1865. The word reached the War Department 
and was given out on Monday, the 10th day of April. At 
that time I was on detached duty in the Adjutant General ’s 
office, our rooms being in the Thompson Building, on the 
west side of Seventeenth street, opposite the Corcoran Art 
Gallery. The day was warm and the windows were open. 
We heard a shout, followed immediately by cheering. We 
looked from the open window toward the War Department, 
and saw evidence of great excitement. A voice rang out: 
‘‘Lee has surrendered!” I know of no language sufficient 
to describe the scene that followed. In every direction the 
shout could be heard: “Lee has surrendered.” Men 
yelled, screamed, shouted, cheered, laughed and wept. No 
one thought of doing business. A crowd gathered in front 
of the War Department. A band appeared from somewhere 
and commenced playing patriotic airs. In response to calls. 
Secretary Stanton, Adjutant General Townsend, Vice Presi¬ 
dent Andrew Johnson, Preston King, Montgomery Blair 
and others made speeches. That of Andrew Johnson was 
bitter and vindictive. One expression I can never forget. 
It was: “And what shall be done with the leaders of the 
rebel host? I know what I would do if I were President. 
I would arrest them as traitors, I would try them as 
traitors, and, by the Eternal, I would hang them as 
traitors.” His manner and his language impressed me the 
more because of its contrast with the temperate manner and 
language of President Lincoln. 

Someone in the crowd shouted: “To the White House!” 


The crowd surged in that direction, and began calling for 
the President. He appeared at an upper window, just west 
of the portico. His appearance was the signal for cheering 
that continued for many minutes, with shouts of i 1 Speech! 
Speech!” He raised his hand, and the crowd stilled. 

He said: “My friends, you want a speech, but I cannot 
make one at this time. Undue importance might be given 
to what I should say. I must take time to think. If you 
will come here to-morrow evening I will have something to 
say to you. There is one thing I will do, however. You 
have a band with you. There is one piece of music I have 
always liked. Heretofore it has not seemed the proper 
thing to use it in the North; but now, by virtue of my pre¬ 
rogative as President and Commander-in-Chief of the Army 
and Navy, I declare it contraband of war and our lawful 
prize. I ask the band to play ‘Dixie.’ ” Again the crowd 
went wild, and for probably the first time the tune of 
“ Dixie ” was greeted with cheers from Union throats. 

I do not recall any history of the time or any life of 
Lincoln that recounts this incident, yet I doubt not there 
are still living scores of men who were present and saw and 
heard it. 

Some years ago Mr. H. II. Twombly, in an article pub¬ 
lished in the Washington Times, attempted to give an ac¬ 
count of this incident. His report, however, is incorrect. 
It represents Mr. Lincoln as appearing at the main entrance 
of the White House when the crowd first gathered, step¬ 
ping out to the front of the portico, and then and there 
making a speech. Mr. Twombly’s account, so far as the 
speech is concerned, relates to the occurrences of the next 
evening, the 11th of April, and not to those of April 10th, 
when news of the surrender was first received. On the 
first occasion Mr. Lincoln did not come out of the house 
at all, but stood at the upper window. ITe made no speech. 
It was evident he was acting on the impulse of the moment 
when he called upon the band to play the Southern air. 
The act was significant and characteristic. It illustrated 
forcibly one of the differences between the character of 
Mr. Lincoln and that of Andrew Johnson. Mr. Johnson’s 
first thought was of vengeance. Mr. Lincoln’s first thought 
was evidently one of peace and reconciliation, and of how 
to best heal the wounds of war. Thenceforth the North 
and South were one, and his impulsive acceptance of the 
music of the South was a tender of the olive branch. 

The next evening the President, according to his promise, 
made that which proved to be his last public speech. This 
speech, which is doubtless familiar to all, shows that even 
in that moment of victory Mr. Lincoln had in mind the 


smarting wounds of both victor and vanquished, and was 
already grappling the problem of reconciliation. On Fri¬ 
day night of that week he was shot. 

Egbert W. McBride. 

Note.— Since the foregoing was written my attention has 
been called to page 252 of Noah Brooks’ “Washington in 
Lincoln’s Time,” where the “Dixie” incident is referred 
to. Also to a note in Mr. Brooks’ “Lincoln Reminiscences,” 
published in the old Scribner’s Monthly in April, 1878. I 
have not had opportunity to examine either of these pub¬ 
lications, but I am informed that Mr. Brooks’ account 
agrees substantially with mine. 


ADDENDUM. 

Since this book went to press, I have received a letter 
from John W. Ray, who is living at Guthrie, Oklahoma. 
This accounts for forty living members of the Company. 

I am also glad to be able to include an excellent half¬ 
tone portrait of Lieutenant (now doctor) G. C. Ashum, 
of Cleveland, Ohio. 







































































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